Man Fired for Wearing Bush Sweatshirt at Obama Rally

[Dos Equis]

 

Man Fired for Wearing Bush Sweatshirt at Obama Rally
11:08 a.m. PDT, October 23, 2010
 
LOS ANGELES ( KTLA) -- Don't try wearing a Bush hat or sweatshirt at an Obama rally.

Duane Hammond says it's what got him fired.

Hammond is a union stagehand who was part of the crew that built the platform for the Obama event on campus.

He came to work early this morning wearing clothing that says "George H. W. Bush".

Hammond's son is in the Navy, currently serving on the aircraft carrier U.S.S. George H. W. Bush.

Hammond says he was not trying to make a political statement.

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He says he got the sweatshirt and hat during a visit to the aircraft carrier on Family Day.

The back of his sweatshirt has a large drawing of the ship.

He says he wore it to show how proud he is of his son.

That didn't go over well with his union supervisor.

Hammond says he was told to take off the sweatshirt, or he would have to go home.

He refused. They told him he was fired from the job.

James Wright, a business representative from IATSE Local 33, says the union is still investigating what happened.

"If he was sent home because of the sweatshirt, he will be paid for the day," he said.

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-bush-t-shirt,0,7529887.story

[240 is Back]

"Hammond says he was told to take off the sweatshirt, or he would have to go home.
He refused. They told him he was fired from the job."


Listen if McDonalds was holding a company picnic there, and the PAID staff was told "please take off that Burger King shirt", it wouldn't be all that unreasonable.  It's not like they kicked out someone in the audience.  This guy was wearing a shirt of a direct competitor to the speaker paying to use their facilities that day.

Boss asks you to turn the shirt inside out, you do it.  he's lucky he's still being paid for the day.

[Arnold jr]

"Hammond says he was told to take off the sweatshirt, or he would have to go home.
He refused. They told him he was fired from the job."


Listen if McDonalds was holding a company picnic there, and the PAID staff was told "please take off that Burger King shirt", it wouldn't be all that unreasonable.  It's not like they kicked out someone in the audience.  This guy was wearing a shirt of a direct competitor to the speaker paying to use their facilities that day.

Boss asks you to turn the shirt inside out, you do it.  he's lucky he's still being paid for the day.

Hardly the same thing.

1. This guy is wearing the sweatshirt while working to set up the stage...it's not like Obama is anywhere near there while this is going on.

2. McDonalds/Burger King example: you're right, they're competitors, but this is a very different situation here, this isn't business competition. Telling someone they can't have a job based on political support is against the law...just more evidence of union corruption.

3. The shirt wasn't even political in nature in the first place. Do you honestly think they would have fired him if his son was aboard the USS Jimmy Carter and he wore that sweatshirt?

[24KT]

Hey he's IATSE, ...Trust me when I tell you, ...he'll be just fine. He just got a paid day off.

He did absolutely nothing wrong. I've worked with plenty IATSE mainly local 667, and their choice of T-shirts isn't an issue. This isn't a blame Obama situation either. He had a supervisor who was a dipshit. He'll be ok.

[Hugo Chavez]

i seem to remember rightwing support here for employees being fired for voting Obama...

http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?topic=326770.0

[The Showstoppa]

"Hammond says he was told to take off the sweatshirt, or he would have to go home.
He refused. They told him he was fired from the job."


Listen if McDonalds was holding a company picnic there, and the PAID staff was told "please take off that Burger King shirt", it wouldn't be all that unreasonable.  It's not like they kicked out someone in the audience.  This guy was wearing a shirt of a direct competitor to the speaker paying to use their facilities that day.

Boss asks you to turn the shirt inside out, you do it.  he's lucky he's still being paid for the day.

Competitor?  What are you talking about?  And he's union, so i guarantee nothing will come of it for him.